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Monday, August 17, 2009

Baby Bibs & Burp Cloths

Hey - I'm late ... as usual. I posted this Monday, but I love participating too! Here is the DIY project I worked on last weekend (and a little tutorial from While They Sleep too):

You guys know that I love introducing you to new creative DIY-ers, right? I'm so excited to show off this next post for Hannah from While They Sleep. It IS very easy and she has a lot of cute projects and 3 darling angels, so click over and take a peek!

I love etsy - I could "shop" there all day and when I kept seeing the cutest bibs and matching burp cloths while shopping for my soon-to-arrive nephew, I knew I must get some. But...I wanted 5-7 sets and it gets a bit pricey so I thought - I'll tackle these myself! VERY easy and VERY inexpensive.I made this:Here is Hannah's tutorial for the bibs which is nearly exact what I did (I added my comments in bold italics - hopefully her tutorial with my minimal comments will help you):

You could probably just scroll down to follow the pictures and understand how to make this but I will provide commentary just in case. I decided that the girls can never have too many bibs (these girls can DROOL like nobody's business...not to mention the projectile spit up we get to experience a few times a day).

So I decided to save some dough and make my own. I figured that using a thin, cheap towel (from Target) (I got mine at the dollar store and was able to use washcloths - but make sure they're the ones with the woven band on the end (the bottom)- the ones without the woven band will shrink too small. You can get 2 bibs out of 1 handtowel, 1 bib from a washcloth if it has the woven strip towards the bottom.) and some of my scrap fabric the total cost is about 25 cents each. I also love the idea of having bibs that are unique (me too!). So here is the tutorial:

I just traced one of the girls bibs that I liked (size-wise). Then just cut the it out to make my pattern. (I did this too. I made myself a homemade compass using a sharpie taped to another one. One with lid on and one with lid off. I then traced the real bib with the lidded sharpie to create a small sewing allowance. I also traced the finished pattern directly onto my fabric with a washable marker - easier to cut out without the pinned-on pattern. I don't have bibs, so I did purchase one at the dollar store to use as a pattern for my "pattern".)

Make sure that your fabrics are washed and ironed...I hate this step because it requires patience which I have very little of...but it is really important for things like this. You don't want your bib to be all weird after it gets washed do you? My new rule after I purchase fabric is to put it right in the washer when I get home...then when I get the urge to create...I don't have to wait! (I agree and I hate this step too...fabric does get all wrinkly and frayed, but it is VERY important!)

Next just cut out your pattern from each piece of material...the towel...

and then your scraps.You should have two shapes that look like this.

Then just put the right sides together and pin.Now it's time to sew!Sew almost the whole thing together but make sure to leave about an inch and a half un-stitched so you can turn it right side out.

then...turn it right side out

and it looks great except for that little opening...so now just tuck both sides in and pin(I ironed during this step...but cool to know it's not important.)

and then I just start there and sew about an 1/8 inch all the way around

almost done...Then just sew your little 1 inch velcro onto both sides and ...(Remember - One on the fabric side on the left and one on the towel side on the right.)

YOU ARE DONE!!! The front

the back (or whatever side you choose).

Laurel likes it...in fact she thinks it good enough to eat!

How cute! I don't have a model...but here are the ones I made for my soon-to-arrive nephew.

Additional Tips:

I also sewed in the middle of the bib when completed to give it a little bit of a "quilted look" and to help with future washings.

I recommend using thread that is the same color as the towel - to help keep it looking good. For example - in Hannah's tutorial above, she could have used a bright blue thread, but the white side of the towel would have shown the seam and using white isn't as noticeable on the patterned fabric.

Coordinating Burp Clothes

Here is a quick tutorial for the burp cloths I made (step by step photos to be edited in later):Materials:

1 - cloth diaper

1 - 6" x approx. 21" piece of fabric

Again, wash fabric and cloth diaper before sewing.

Iron both.

Fold in 1/2 borders around the strip of fabric and iron.

Pin to center of cloth diaper (over the extra padded strip)

Sew onto cloth diaper. I used 3/8 seams. I also sewed a geometric pattern throughout some of mine to help with future washings. It looks quilted and will help the burp cloth keep it's shape. I also find that using the same color fabric as the cloth diaper helps to disguise crooked lines/etc. Thanks so much for sharing your tutorial, Hannah! It's a wonderful gift idea!

I t's that time of week to share your latest DIY projects! We've been doing a LOT of things around our home this past week. For tho...

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Welcome!

Hi, I'm Roeshel. My husband and I are serial DIY'ers and my blog journals our reno-ventures, before and after home improvements, DIY design and decor on a budget. Follow along as we make our old farmhouse our dream home. Show off your DIY projects here, browse the archives for your own DIY project inspiration and make new friends. Thanks for stopping by!